WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

The massive, 72-year-old school is not only the city's second largest high school building but is Chicago's best large-scale example of Art Moderne architecture. The school is slated to re-open this fall as one of the city's five STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) academies.

Chicago plans to continue its controversial Renaissance 2010 schools strategy, if not in name then in substance. In a “concept paper," Chicago Public Schools revealed plans to open 100 schools in the next five years — 60 of them charter schools.

Mother of senior White House advisor Valerie Jarrett, Barbara Bowman is leaving her job as Chief Early Childhood Education Officer at Chicago Public Schools, but not without first sharing the lessons she’s learned inside and outside of the classroom.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is pushing for big changes at Chicago Public Schools next year, including a longer school day, a different calendar and new teacher evaluations.

Chicago has four elite public high schools. They’re the highest scoring schools in the state, better than top suburban schools. Competition to get is fierce, and ratcheted up again this year. WBEZ looks at who gets into Chicago’s best schools, and who does not.

The Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday is scheduled to vote on proposals to close or completely restaff 17 schools. That would make more than 100 the district has shut down or restaffed in the last decade.

Hundreds of teachers, community activists, and parents held a demonstration outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s home late Monday to protest proposals to close or completely restaff 17 schools.A board vote on the proposals is scheduled for Wednesday.The crowd walked silently up North Hermitage, then prayed